Lawsuit Over 'SourceMedia' Trademark Dismissed

By Dave DeWitte, Reporter

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - A lawsuit over adoption of the name SourceMedia by the company that owns KCRG-TV9, KCRG.com, The Gazette and TheGazette.com, has been dismissed.

The lawsuit and a counterclaim was dismissed Monday, Feb. 7. They were dismissed with prejudice, meaning that an identical lawsuit cannot be filed again.

The Gazette Co. adopted the trade name SourceMedia Group Inc. in 2010, and adopted the trademarks SourceMedia and SourceMedia Group as part of a rebranding effort.

In August 2010, attorneys for New York City-based financial publisher Source Media Inc. claimed the use of the trademarks infringed on its unregistered trademark, and threatened litigation against the former Gazette Co.

The former Gazette Co. filed a lawsuit in United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa seeking a declaratory judgement that the use of of the trademarks did not "dilute" the trademark of the SourceMedia Inc. in New York City, which is owned by Investcorp.

In a counterclaim filed in December 2010, the Investcorp-owned Source Media asked that the Cedar Rapids company's trademark application be declared void, and that it be stopped from using SourceMedia or Source Media. The lawsuit also asked the court to award damages.

Cathy Terukina, vice president of administration for SourceMedia in Cedar Rapids, confirmed that an agreement was reached with Source Media Inc.

"While I cannot comment on the details, we are pleased with the resolution and our ability to continue our rebranding efforts," Terukina said.